zou6 hou2 sam1做好心
Jyutpingzou6 hou2 sam1
Yalejouh hóu sām
Definition
To do something out of kindness or good intentions.
colloquialpeopledaily actions
How it's used
Often used when an act of kindness backfires or is met with ingratitude. It carries a slightly cynical undertone, implying that the person's good intentions were either unappreciated or resulted in an unintended negative outcome. It is frequently paired with the phrase 做壞事 to highlight the irony of a well-intentioned action causing harm.
Examples
You did him a favour out of kindness, only for him to turn around and bite the hand that fed him.
Don't end up causing more trouble when you were just trying to be kind.
Related words
Common phrases
to have good intentions but cause bad results
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being kind or nice. It specifically refers to the act of performing a favour or helping someone, often at one's own expense or effort, rather than just possessing a kind personality.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
